It isn't enough that the best softball pitchers in the world fire the ball at least 65 mph from a circle
40 feet from home plate. They also make the ball move. Rise. Drop. Curve. The ball spins in,
out, and around the strike zone, forcing the batter to react not only to the ball's blazing speed,
but its sharp movement as well… all in less than two seconds.

"Late and sharp. That's always what you want as a pitcher," says Michele Smith, the
Hall-of-Fame pitcher with the U.S. Olympic Softball Team. "You want that ball to move just in
front of the plate because the later the ball breaks, the less time the batter has to adjust.

"What I always tell pitchers is, if you can see the ball break, the batter can see the ball break. If
the batter can see the ball break, they can adjust to it." To make the ball move, pitchers will spin
the ball on release. A forward spin causes the ball to drop. A backward spin makes it rise.

It all starts with the grip. While few pitchers grip the ball the same way, Smith, has shown she
has a good grip on ball movement. She shares her secrets...